Mix all ingredients together. I use whole milk ricotta, if you use part skim, drain first. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Spoon a dollop of mixture in pan and pat flat. Cook on low till golden, flip, pat flat, cook till done. Serve each pancake with a drizzle of warm SF jam, maple syrup, fruit or delicious just plain. Makes 8 pancakes.

These can be frozen between slices of wax paper or kept in the fridge a day or 2 and reheated (nuke 25 seconds) for breakfast during the week. Surprising good cold too. Leftovers usually get some SF jam or almond butter smeared on them, wrapped in foil and they become a great breakfast-on-the-go with a protein shake.

Lunch: I did a ton of yard work yesterday. We've had such bad drought here in Southern California and major watering restrictions so there were some plant casualties. I'm slowly removing the dead stuff. Yesterday I tackled an old rose bush and uggh I have the scratched arms to prove it. I brought lunch outside. I made up a plate of cold cuts, cheese, pickles, almonds (have you tried those Blue Diamond Honey Chipotle Almonds yet, OMG) and ate a little on a break. My Mum shared my spread.

Dinner: Last cup of leftover turkey went in this casserole (sort of macaroni & cheese without the pasta since I don't do pasta post weight loss surgery.) Another great use of leftovers it would be great using cubed holiday ham. Non-holidays I'd add sauteed ground beef (turkey or sausage) or leave it meatless for a Meatless Monday.

Parboil cauliflower till knife inserts easily but still firm. Drain it well. Break-up into florets and set aside.

Make cheese sauce: Whiz cottage cheese in a mini food processor till smooth. Set aside. In a small nonstick saucepan, cook butter and spelt flour (lower carbs and I prefer the taste but any wheat flour can sub) together for 1 minute. Add milk slowly. Stirring constantly and cook till bubbling and thickened. Add cheddar cheese and stir till melted. Turn off heat and mix in cottage cheese. Add a few dashes of hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste.

Saute mushrooms till golden. Add turkey, peas, oregano. Add cauliflower and pour cheese sauce over it all. Mix to combine. Pour into a Pyrex casserole. Top with Parmesan and onions, this is optional but the best part of traditional Mac & Cheese is the crunchy topping to me so I add it. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Snacks: Too much coffee, a few apple samples at the Farmer's Market. I bought a few Honeycrisp Apples to make one of my favorite breakfasts this coming week. I also hit Costco and had a couple of samples while I was there... a hunk of Pure Protein bar and a sample of Madras Lentils. I love free samples for a WLS weight loss surgery peep it's a cheap date ;)

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Americans throw out 204 million lbs of leftover turkey on Thanksgiving. It's a shame. We really all need to learn to cook smaller (it's hard, I know I'm Sicilian we don't know the meaning of cooking small) and post weight loss surgery we're eating even less so that means even more leftovers. In an effort to save a few of those 204 million pounds of leftovers here's a few of my favorite ways to repurpose those Turkey Day leftovers.

Repurposing: Transforming leftovers into something equally as yummy. The goal is for them to taste and look so completely different you don't realize you are having leftovers.

Leftovers used: turkey, any veggie, cheese from cheese tray. These are really adaptable so a little more or less of one ingredient is usually fine within a 1/4 of a cup or so.

Make these Thanksgiving night and you'll have a grab and go breakfast to power your Black Friday shopping. I don't go. I did it one year for work. I worked at a school and Target had a killer playground ball sale. A woman ran over my foot with a shopping cart and then I spent an hour trying to squeeze 300 balls into my 2-seater car at 4 AM. I had balls up to my ears literally. I'll be cozy & warm in my bed. If you are heading out in that madness be safe.

To Roast Squash: Preheat oven to 425. Place cubed squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher Salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 45 minutes turning 2 or 3 times during cooking. You are looking for soft and lightly golden.

I cheated and bought already cubed & peeled squash from Costco (I've seen it at Trader Joe's and most regular supermarkets) because I value my fingers and butternut squash is a pain in the you-know-what to chop up.

Saute onion and mushroom till golden. Add all remaining ingredients (except Parmesan and Pecans). Mix to combine. Pour into a Pyrex Casserole (I love the holidays I get to use some of my vintage Pyrex, I collect it) Top with Parmesan and Pecans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Leftovers used: turkey, gravy

Leftovers are good 3-4 days tops in the fridge. Toss turkey and veggies in the freezer for soup making in the cold months ahead. Remember when in doubt, toss it out. Here are some more Thanksgiving Food Safety Tips.

Whiz in blender till smooth. Top with No Sugar Added Homemade Whipped Cream. I use storebought cranberry sauce (lowest sugar I can find) but there's oodles of SF recipes online. If you are super sensitive, I'm fine with a dollop.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The holidays are upon us and too often in the hustle and bustle of juggling all those extra work commitments and family events, basically taking care of everyone else, we neglect to take care of ourselves. Celebrate Vitamins has a great bunch of products that can help keep us on track and avoid derailing our health goals. Packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals these are healthy and delicious on-the-go alternatives to grabbing something off the dollar menu.

The greatest gift is the gift of good health, one to be treasured! It's Giveaway Time!

The Prize: Convenient single serve travel packets of some of the great protein packed products Celebrate Vitamins offers...

How to Enter: 1.) LIKEThe World According to EggfaceANDCelebrate Vitamins Facebook Page 2.) COME BACK HERE and LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST (Be sure to include your name and some email address where I can contact you if you are the winner) Scroll down to # of comments below to enter. That's it, easy peasy.

Contest Period Ends: Sunday, November 30th, midnight (Pacific), sometime Monday, December 1st. I'll draw a name using a random number generator and announce the winner here on the blog! I will also email the winner at the address provided. You'll have one week (7 days) to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Remember winners MUST be a Facebook follower (aka have LIKED) of the The World According to Eggface AND Celebrate Vitamins. One comment entry per person. Blog comments are moderated so there may be a slight delay (up to a few hours, especially at night if I'm sleeping Zzzz) in seeing your comment/entry post. Giveaway is open to anyone in the contiguous United States, 48 contiguous only (sorry it's a legal - international laws govern giveaways and money $ thing)Good Luck!

Friday, November 21, 2014

1. Saw this the other day and I have to share it. This is so me! I literally fight the urge to dance in supermarket aisles all the time. It doesn't help that music playing in stores and elevators now are my jams (sign of getting old?) So I am all for this becoming a thing... it will legitimize my weirdness ;)

I tweet a lot of article links so if you follow my twitter account you'll get lots of articles throughout the week.

Select #YWM2014 sessions are now available on the Obesity Action Coalition You Tube Channel and be sure to make plans to attend #YWM2015 The Your Weight Matters National Convention August 13th-16th, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas. Sign up for email alerts to be the first to hear when registration opens and all the event 411. I am the Convention Chair this year so I would like to personally invite you (or should I say y'all, it is Texas) to come!

4. I just read this statistic... the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day. I was probably pretty close to "average" pre- weight loss surgery from the chips, dips, cheese and crackers while we waited for feast to begin, to the smorgasbord of carby, cream and butter laden comfort food side dishes at dinner, the liquid calories of several glasses of apple cider... and then the pies.

5. If you haven't thrown your name into the hat for my latest giveaway there is still time. It ends Sunday. Here's the link to enter. Also you'll want to check back on the blog Sunday evening to find out what's inside these 2 boxes?! as another Eggface giveaway will begin. Any guesses?

Sunday, November 16, 2014

I love to cook. It's my creative outlet. I was scared that having weight loss surgery would put an end to my days in the kitchen but happily it did not. I actually get to be even more creative by analyzing a favorite recipe and seeing where I can make changes to make a healthier version of a pre-op favorite. I never feel like I am missing out. I love the foods I eat! I think if you have read the blog for any length of time you know that cooking and having fun in the kitchen does not end with surgery. In fact, it gets even better. To celebrate that...

It's Giveaway Time!

The Prize: A few of my favorite gadgets and pantry staples to get you cooking...

How to Enter:1.) LIKEThe World According to Eggface Facebook Page2.) COME BACK HERE and LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST (Be sure to include your name and some email address where I can contact you if you are the winner) Scroll down to # of comments below to enter. That's it, easy peasy.

* Follow me on Pinterest and pin at least one of your favorite Eggface recipes or an Eggface recipe you'd like to try to one of your Pinterest boards. Put #Eggface in the description. If you are new to the blog, Welcome! There's 8 years of archived recipes (see drop down screen, lower left side of screen) hope you find something that becomes a family favorite.

Contest Period Ends: Sunday, November 23rd, midnight (Pacific), sometime Monday, November 24th. I'll draw a name using a random number generator and announce the winner here on the blog! I will also email the winner at the address provided. You'll have one week (7 days) to respond to my email or another winner will be chosen. Remember winners MUST be a Facebook follower (aka have LIKED) of the The World According to Eggface. One comment entry per person. Blog comments are moderated so there may be a slight delay (up to a few hours, especially at night if I'm sleeping Zzzz) in seeing your comment/entry post. Giveaway is open to anyone in the contiguous United States, 48 contiguous only (sorry it's a legal - international laws govern giveaways and money $ thing)

Good Luck! and P.S. Click on the photos for links to the recipes pictured above. P.P.S. I'm really excited about the next few weeks lots of fun giveaways and blog posts coming up!

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Great evening spent watching one of my favorite mini series ever "North & South," the British movie not to be confused with the US civil war movie with Patrick Swayze and Kirstie Alley with the same name. This is Elizabeth Gaskell's "North & South" 4-part British miniseries, sort of Pride & Prejudice set in the Industrial Revolution. If you love period movies put this on your must watch list. I read on twitter that it was the 10th anniversary of the film and I watch it at least once a year so it seemed like the perfect day to pop it in. Ummm and the star Richard Armitage is great eye candy to spend the evening with.

Of course I needed some healthy protein packed movie snacks. Well they were actually lunch for me. I'm a cheap date ;) I made one savory and one sweet one because the movie is a drama (savory) and romance (sweet.)

These Baked Zucchini Spears are way healthier than the deep fried, batter dipped, county fair zucchini and they are delicious...

Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. In a Gallon Ziploc bag combine Parmesan (grate it yourself, not the can kind) and seasonings. Cut the zucchini spears. Trim top and bottom then half each zucchini and half again, making 4 spears from each zucchini.

Place in another Gallon Ziploc and add oil. Zip the bag up and shake it around to make sure the oil coats each of the spears. Remove a piece or 2 at a time and toss in bag of cheesy seasoning mix. Place zucchini spears onto the rack.

Mix till well blended.Leftover zucchini spears heat up great or you could chop them up and make a batch of my Egg Bites or a frittata. These also make a great side dish or appetizer for a BBQ night or Patio Picnic with some cheese, cold cuts, etc.More Eggface Zucchini RecipesFor my sweet movie treat I made a batch of Protein Power Balls. Lots of variations on this one on the blog, usually based on what I have on hand protein-wise (see Cook's Note below.)

Mix all ingredients till thoroughly combined. Roll into walnut size balls. Ricotta water content can vary (I use whole not part skim) so if needed add little more of one of the dry ingredients (you want moldable play dough consistency.)

Roll in unsweetened coconut (or other topping choice.) Place in fridge to firm before serving. Keep leftovers refrigerated. You can also freeze them and defrost in the fridge as needed. Makes 16.

Cook's Note: Any protein powder will work in this, though if you don't like it as a shake you probably won't like it in a ball. A favorite is Chike High Protein Iced Coffee and Chocolate (gluten & lactose free protein powder). At the holidays Celebrate Vitamins Chocolate Mint Protein rolled in crush SF Peppermints are sooo good. This time I did a Big Train Spiced Chai Latte and Vanilla combo. If you like things sweeter add a packet of sweetener to taste. For my "stuff" I added a combo of Toasted Almonds, SF Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world. Here's what I ate yesterday...

Breakfast: I made my Deconstructed Sicilian Rice Balls for dinner last night and I had a little extra ground beef so I set it aside and used it in the morning to make a Cowboy Egg Bowl (scrambled egg, leftover crumbled ground beef (or turkey or sausage), shredded cheese and a few splashes of hot sauce (I love Cholula.)

Lunch: I spent most of the morning at my Mum's audiologist. For those of you that are new to my blog or haven't met my Mum at an event, she has profound hearing loss. She had a really extensive hearing test done (needs a new hearing aid) so most of my morning was spent in a waiting room reading magazines so I know way more about Kim & Kanye and Ashton & Mila than anyone should know. Uggh. Oh and quick soapbox: hearing aids are crazy $$$ expensive and Medicare does not cover them and that is wrong. OK off soap box. After, we stopped for lunch at Rubio's and I had my standard order: Balsamic and Roasted Veggies Salad with Grilled Fish. I ax the dressing and use a little chipotle salsa and a squirt of lime. I eat the fish, most of the yummy roasted veggies veggies and a little of the greens and call it a day. It really is shareable. I love to cook so I tend not to eat out much but this is one of my two favorite healthier fast food-ish type places. I also love Panera's Power Bowls on their secret menu.

Strategies for Eating Out Post Weight Loss SurgeryDinner: I get those 2 lb. boxes of peeled, cubed Butternut Squash cubes from Costco, toss them with a little drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of Kosher Salt and roast them at 425 for 40-45 minutes until soft and caramelized. Sometimes I turn that into one of my favorite Fall casseroles but tonight I made these. They are delicious and would be a great Meatless Monday dinner or dinner to make when vegetarian pals come to dinner, add a little salad on the side. I had it topped with a dollop of guacamole and yogurt dip.

Mix all the ingredients together. You want to leave some chunkiness to the squash and beans mixture I use a fork so some is more smashed and some is more whole. Using a 1/4 cup measure make 10 patties. Place in pan and flatten slightly. I saute 4 at a time in a 10" non stick pan with a Tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes on one side. You will see the edge get golden and start to smell them (Mmmm) and you will know it's time for the flip. Flip once and continue about 5 minutes on other side till golden brown and crispy. Leftovers keep in fridge for a few days. Reheat in microwave and re-crisp in pan.

Snacks: Lots of coffee and this dessert that is often on my Thanksgiving Day menu. It's so good and trust me, non-ops will never know it's not the full sugar version. Don't skip the granola crumble topping it makes it and if you haven't made your own no sugar added whipped cream yet you have to do it. You need a whipper like this and some chargers but then you can add SF Flavorings to make SF Peppermint Whipped Cream or SF Coconut Whipped Cream on NSA Hot Cocoa, SF Chocolate Whipped Cream or SF Raspberry Whipped Cream on top of berries. So good.

Mix together till well combined. Pour into a Pam sprayed 11 x 7 1/2" Pyrex dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Turn oven down to 350 and Bake 40-45 minutes more or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Chill it for an hour or so.

This is great to make the night before. Cut into squares (I made 24) top with optional No Sugar Added Whipped Cream and Spiced Chai Protein Granola Crumble.

Squeeze together with your hands till clumps form. You need to use your hands for this one. Place on a Pam sprayed, foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool. Crumble some on top of pie. I used about half on top of the Pie and saved the other half in an airtight container.

You can really use any protein powder in this recipe. I have made Espresso Protein Granola with Chike and Click. Chocolate Protein Granola is delicious. I love this Chai version though. I think it's my favorite... those Chai spices taste so Fall to me.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

I read this article this morning and I got angry. Arnold Abbott, a 90-year-old activist and two church pastors with him were arrested at a park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday and then again on Wednesday for feeding the homeless.

Apparently the city is "cracking down" on food sharing, the city's commissioners passed a measure last month that requires feeding sites to be more than 500 ft away from each other and 500 ft from residential properties and only one group is allowed to share food with the homeless per city block. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, there has been a 47% increase in the number of cities that have passed or introduced legislation to restrict food sharing.

There is something wrong with this world. I don't care what religion you are (or aren't) when there is a person who is hungry as a fellow human being we must help if we can. The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members.

So I read the article and got angry and then I thought OK use that anger and do something. I was headed out to run some errands and I thought I'd pick up some food for my local food bank and donate it in Mr. Abbott's name but I am also hoping you will join me so together we can make a bigger impact!

The Food Bucket Challenge (sort of a play on the ice bucket challenge)

Fill a new bucket (or box, bag, whatever) with non-perishable food, no set amount, whatever you can do.

Donate your items to whoever in your local community is taking food donations or if you personally know of a person or family in need give it to them.

You will have the good feeling that comes from helping another and we will send a collective message that we stand with people like Mr. Abbott.

Little bonus: I'll add all the Food Bucket Challenge photo participants names to a hat and draw one photo on November 30th and send that random person a special thank you care package (contents yet to be determined but it will be fun I promise.)

About Me

I had my guts rearranged (aka Weight Loss Surgery, RNY gastric bypass surgery June 2006) This blog is basically me rambling about my world. I also post recipes that I've adapted to make weight loss surgery friendly.
I love to cook.
I have always loved to cook. It's my creative outlet. I was scared that having weight loss surgery would put an end to my days in the kitchen but happily it did not. I actually get to be even more creative by analyzing a favorite recipe and seeing where I can make changes to make a healthier version of a pre-op favorite.